


Chicken Soup for the Archaeologist's Soul

by Chantress



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: A Pinch of Daniel Jackson/Sha're, Cooking, Gen, Recipes, Sickfic, sorry for the feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 10:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17160221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chantress/pseuds/Chantress
Summary: Soup is sweeter when salted with joyful tears...





	Chicken Soup for the Archaeologist's Soul

**Author's Note:**

> The soup featured in this story is actually one I've made myself many times, if you'd care to follow along at home; it's especially tasty when you feel like you might be starting to get a cold. Measurements and ingredients are flexible, so feel free to modify it to suit your own preferences and dietary restrictions.

_First, set the chicken broth to simmer._  
  
It had been a long time since Daniel had had anyone to fuss over him when he was sick. Properly fuss, that is: with tea and extra pillows and a gentle hand on his forehead to check his temperature. Dr. Fraiser had sent him home earlier that week with strict instructions to rest when he'd come down with the nasty cold that had been making the rounds of the SGC lately, of course, but doctor's orders didn't count as fussing.  
  
_Dice half an onion, and add it to the broth._  
  
So here he was, alone in his apartment at two in the morning, making soup. He was too congested to sleep, too restless to read, and the only thing on TV at this hour was infomercials and porn. Or worse, sitcom reruns. Yeah, no thanks.  
  
_Dice one carrot and one stalk of celery and add them to the broth._  
  
Cooking had started out as a necessity; a guy got tired of peanut butter and frozen pizza after a while, and a rather vivid episode of food poisoning during grad school had left Daniel leery of takeout ever since, so it was either learn to cook or starve.  
  
_Dice and add other vegetables if desired: broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, etc._  
  
After a while, though, cooking had become more of a pleasure than a chore, almost an odd sort of meditation: a way to stay connected to his body when his mind was all too often tempted to run the show. It was grounding in a way few other things were for him, emotionally as well as physically; he couldn't count the number of missions he'd been on that made him feel like his heart had been stepped on, where in their aftermath he'd started putting all his pieces back together in the kitchen, chopping and stirring and seasoning, pouring out his bruised feelings into a stew or a pasta sauce.  
  
_Mince as many hot peppers as you can stand and add them to the soup; ditto garlic; ditto fresh or candied ginger, if desired._  
  
There was a saying on Abydos that began _Soup is sweeter when salted with joyful tears_. Skaara and the other young men had teased him for helping with the food preparation, but Sha're understood, at least a little. "It is how you show your heart, my Daniel."  
  
_Add salt to taste, along with herbs and spices: thyme, sage, turmeric powder, rosemary, etc. are all possibilities._  
  
The steam from the soup fogged up his glasses as he took the lid off the pot, and he had to pause to wipe them off before giving it a stir. Then he had to pause to wipe his nose before going back to the cutting board. Honestly, if his sinuses could just pick one thing and stick to it for a while...  
  
_Break spaghetti or lo mein noodles into small pieces and add them to the soup._  
  
He could have asked someone to bring him some soup, true. But again, two in the morning. Not to mention Jack's idea of homemade chicken soup was cracking open a can of Campbell's. Sam and Teal'c both actually cooked, but Sam tended towards the WASP-y end of the seasoning spectrum, while Jaffa cuisine was a little too spicy even for Daniel's taste.  
  
_Simmer on low heat until the vegetables are tender and the noodles are soft._  
  
By the time the soup was ready, Daniel was already feeling a little better. Enough to contemplate starting that book Jack had lent him a few months ago; Stephen King wasn't usually his cup of tea, but Jack swore the _Dark Tower_ series was better than it sounded. It would at least be a decent distraction for a while.  
  
_Serve hot, with a garnish of fresh cilantro leaves or a squeeze of lime juice._  
  
_Soup is sweeter when salted with joyful tears_ , the saying went. "And sweeter still when made by loving hands," Daniel finished in a whisper, holding his bowl close. There was no one here to share the soup with, true, but at least there was also no one to see him cry.


End file.
